Tenerife Carnival 2010
Saturday, 28th November 2009
The Tenerife Carnival is a week of celebrations, festivals, parades, eating, drinking, parties, music, dancing and general madness all over the Island. The celebrations are second only to the Rio Carnival. Banned during the Franco regime, Tenerife was not to be denied its celebration, so the Carnival continued, disguised as a Winter Fiesta. Eventually, Franco turned a blind eye.
Every carnival opens with the election of a Carnival Queen. Girls often spend the winter months designing and making highly elaborate costumes to enthral the judges.
Exhibitionists just love the Tenerife Carnival. “Adults” are encouraged to dress as bizarrely as they like, with cross dressing actively encouraged. Children have their own parades throughout the Island, giving them fun adventures they will remember all their lives.The main celebrations start late, and last until dawn.
The highlight of every festival is the ceremonial burial of the Sardine. Large Paper Mache models of a sardine are ritually buried, accompanied by much grief and wailing of the sardine “widows”, including men dressed as women. Utterly bizarre, but wonderful fun.Lent then arrives, and normality returns.
While Carnival Celebrates take place all over the Island, the festivals in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto De La Cruz are the biggest, and the most manic. Dates for 2010 are:
Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2010
February 10 Election of the Santa Cruz Carnival Queen
February 12 Opening Parade
February 16 Closing Parade
February 17 Burial of the Sardine
See our favourite hotels in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Puerto De La Cruz 2010
February 11 Election of the Puerto De La Cruz Carnival Queen
February 13 Opening Parade
February 17 Burial of the Sardine
February 19 “Put on your high heels” drag marathon
February 20 Closing Parade
See our favourite hotels in Puerto de la Cruz
The Tenerife Carnival is an event not to be missed, but remember, hotels all over the Island will be quickly booked up during Carnival.
